Mike Ashley, dual club ownership and the 10% rule rumour

[Waltersgotstyle 307]

Always been intrigued by your photo Ser- who is it and where?

 

Looks like Mourinho to me - with the premier league trophy.

 

http://josemourinhohistory.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/08-premier-league-chelsea-fc-2004-05.jpg

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

What are the chances of Rangers competing in the Champions League proper in the next ten years?

 

Could a poorly-managed Rangers negotiate three qualifiers? Could it win the league to even get that far?

 

We could slip into the Europa Cup perhaps, but the CL looks like becoming a much rarer event for Rangers - and maybe Celtic too - than was perhaps imagined a year or two ago.

I said in a previous post that the Scottish co-efficient is going to be so bad soon that playing a side from the top leagues in the qualifiers will be a regular event, and that will be after coming up against someone decent from Turkey or Russia. Celtic already had to play Arsenal in a qualifer a few years ago.

 

The old firm could play an Arsenal, Bilbao or Napoli 100 times and wouldn't get a goal.

 

And this is supposing we ever win the SPL again.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

Looks like Mourinho to me - with the premier league trophy.

 

http://josemourinhohistory.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/08-premier-league-chelsea-fc-2004-05.jpg

Chelsea as my second side keeps me sane. Might go get a season ticket at Stamford Bridge, would be a lot less stressful and infinitely more enjoyable.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

I'd want about 3/1, rating your chances at around 25%. If you get home draws, I'm sure you can prevail against any scottish team. Motherwell? - knocked out by Icelandic part timers! I know the jambos turned you over but replay the game 10 times, I think you'd be lucky to lose twice.

Aberdeen or celtic away would be a problem, everyone else you have a great chance of knocking out.

You might be involved in a glamour tie against newcastle or man Utd next August. best case admittedly. Back in the big time. The pain will end sometime. Kris Boyd is too good for Scottish teams. Give him the ball in the penalty area. That's all that matters football wise.

Why do you think we have any chance? We were outplayed for large spells by Hearts and even yourselves who seem in a mess. Queen of the South looked far more comfortable on the ball for spells.

 

I don't think we have a 1% chance.

[craig 5,199]

Right now, it is anyone's guess whom we could beat. We beat Motherwell with a worse team, got beaten by a decent enough ICT (table-toppers, BTW). Dundee United was beatable too. Neither side plays unconquerable stuff and whether they will be before we challenge for CL places is anyone's guess too. Newcastle are not exactly star-studded (haven't been and probably won't be. ManU are right now rather woeful, but they still have a star-studded core and signed Falcao last week too. What will happen till May - with them and us and Newcastle is anyone's guess too. There are 4 CL places up for grabs in England, i.e. where the riches lie for your normal teams. Do you see past the big four or five? Should e.g. Ashley decide to plough in a bit more money - and we speak of 5 to 10m maximum - next summer (going by the assumption that we manage promotion), do you seriously think that CL football is that far off? Hypothetically speaking.

 

I forgot to throw in Hearts too seeing as they beat us at Ibrox.

 

The stark reality is that Newcastle still have a better chance of Europe as we still don't qualify - do we not need 3 years of financial statements or was it some other obscure rule ? Also, the line between being successful and unsuccessful in England is fairly thin. I think Newcastle have an outside chance of Europe this season though it very much also depends on others. We have no chance of making Europe this season. Ergo, at this moment in time Newcastle have a better chance of Europe than we do.

[der Berliner 3,813]

I forgot to throw in Hearts too seeing as they beat us at Ibrox.

 

The stark reality is that Newcastle still have a better chance of Europe as we still don't qualify - do we not need 3 years of financial statements or was it some other obscure rule ? Also, the line between being successful and unsuccessful in England is fairly thin. I think Newcastle have an outside chance of Europe this season though it very much also depends on others. We have no chance of making Europe this season. Ergo, at this moment in time Newcastle have a better chance of Europe than we do.

 

Dunno what the Hearts remark was good for (as we will lose to other teams too, at least every now and then - and have for ages), but that last remark kills the debate dead anyway. Methinks if the SFA agrees though, we could enter Europe next summer should we win the Scottish Cup. I doubt though that the SFA will be so inclined and we will make it all the way to Hampden.

[RANGERRAB 3,757]

I may be wrong but I thought we needed three years of RIFC plc audited accounts before we could get back into Europe.I don't think we've got three years yet have we?

The only way around this was if the SFA made a special application on our behalf which had to be at the start of the season meaning they'd have had to have done it prior to this season starting

[der Berliner 3,813]

2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 ... so in theory in autumn 2015 we could be back in Europe. UEFA might actually be sympathetic here, as we were done by a criminal. Whether the SFA is willing to give us an OK for next autumn is another matter though. (Well, at least that was said on another thread on that topic.)

 

BTW, I think we are all very much aware how bizarre such a debate is, given our current plight. All rather hypothetical.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

I've published all this stuff before but here we go again.

 

Firstly it should be noted that the UEFA CLUB LICENSING AND FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY REGULATIONS cover a great deal more than just accounts. They run to more than 80 pages http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Tech/uefaorg/General/01/80/54/10/1805410_DOWNLOAD.pdf and include:

 

SPORTING CRITERIA

 

INFRASTRUCTURE CRITERIA

 

PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CRITERIA

 

LEGAL CRITERIA

 

FINANCIAL CRITERIA

 

THE Deadline for submission of the application to the licensor is the date by which each licensor requires licence applicants to have submitted all relevant information for their applications for a licence. The SFA has a similarly obscure rule and at this time of the morning I can't be bothered trying to find the actual date but obviously it has to be some time in one season, probably quite early, for the following season. So that would mean that ordinarily Rangers would need to have three years accounts PRIOR to the season for which application is being made; so 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15, the last of which would not be available until the Autumn of say 2015 to apply for 2016/17 PROVIDED THAT such accounts were available BEFORE THE SFA DEADLINE whenever that may be.

 

These clauses seem particularly relevant

 

Article 12 – Definition of licence applicant

 

2. The membership and the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted – at

the start of the licence season – for at least three consecutive years. Any

alteration to the club’s legal form or company structure (including, for example,

changing its headquarters, name or club colours, or transferring stakeholdings

between different clubs) during this period in order to facilitate its qualification on

sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence to the detriment of the integrity of a

competition is deemed as an interruption of membership.

 

Article 15 – Special permission

 

1. If a club qualifies for a UEFA club competition on sporting merit but has not

undergone any licensing process at all or has undergone a licensing process

which is lesser/not equivalent to the one applicable for top division clubs,

because it belongs to a division other than the top division, the UEFA member

association of the club concerned may – on behalf of such a club – request an

extraordinary application of the club licensing system in accordance with

 

Annex IV.

 

2. Based on such an extraordinary application, UEFA may grant special permission

to the club to enter the corresponding UEFA club competition subject to the

relevant UEFA club competition regulations. Such an extraordinary application

applies only to the specific club and for the season in question.

 

ANNEX IV: Extraordinary application of the club licensing system

 

1. The UEFA administration defines the necessary deadlines and the minimum

criteria for the extraordinary application of the club licensing system as specified

in Article 15(1) and communicates them to the UEFA member associations at

the latest by 31 August of the year preceding the licence season.

 

THIS GIVES US A CLUE THAT THE DEADLINE MUST BE AFTER 31 AUGUST IN THE PRECEDING SEASON

BUT EARLY ENOUGH FOR THE SFA IN THIS CASE TO GO THROUGH IT AND SUBMIT THE APPLICATION

WHICH MUST TAKE SOME MONTHS.

 

2. UEFA member associations must notify the UEFA administration of such

extraordinary application requests in writing and stating the name of the club

concerned by the deadline communicated by the UEFA administration.

 

3. The UEFA member associations are responsible for submitting the criteria to the

club concerned for the assessment for the extraordinary procedure at national

level. They must also take immediate action with the club concerned to prepare

for the extraordinary procedure.

 

4. The club concerned must provide the necessary documentary proof to the

licensor that will assess the club against the fixed minimum standards and

forward the following documentation in one of the UEFA official languages to the

UEFA administration by the deadline communicated by the latter:

 

a) a written request to apply for special permission to enter the corresponding

UEFA club competition;

 

b) a recommendation by the licensor based on its assessment (including the

dates and names of the persons having assessed the club);

 

c) all documentary evidence provided by the club and the licensor as requested

by the UEFA administration;

 

d) any other documents requested by the UEFA administration during the

extraordinary procedure.

 

5. The UEFA administration bases its decision on the documentation received and

grants special permission to enter the UEFA club competitions if all the set

criteria are fulfilled and if the club ultimately qualifies on sporting merit. The

decision will be communicated to the UEFA member association, which has to

forward it to the club concerned.

 

6. If such a club is eliminated on sporting merit during this extraordinary procedure,

the UEFA member association concerned has to notify the UEFA administration

immediately, and this procedure is immediately terminated, without further

decision. Such a terminated procedure cannot be restarted at a later stage.

 

7. Appeals can be lodged against decisions made by the UEFA administration in

writing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in accordance with the

relevant provisions laid down in the UEFA Statutes.

 

Based on the foregoing I would say that Rangers would need to ask the SFA NOW to provide the criteria for the assessment for the extraordinary procedure in case we win the Cup this season so that we could play in the EL next season.

 

Even then It is not clear that we would have the three years acccounts ending 2014/15 by whatever trhe deadline is for the normal procedure in time to be licensed for 2016/17, so the special procedure may have to be invoked again if we are in the SPL and anticipated qualifying by finishing in the top 3.

 

Lots of IFS, BUTS AND MAYBE'S HERE.

 

Anyone who wants to do some more digging to find the actual SFA deadline date is more than welcome.

[Rangersitis 0]

I will be surprised if this lot can find someone to provide them with a set of audited accounts.